‘The Hobbit 3′ Trailer: ‘The Battle of the Five Armies’ Begins!

With the arrival of the 'Hobbit 3' trailer, it's finally starting to sink in that our time in Middle Earth is coming to an epic finish. What began with 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' 13 years ago will officially end this December. While the 'Hobbit' movies may not be as universally beloved as director Peter Jackson's first trilogy, the melancholy is strong.

Although we fully expect the finished movie to fill us with complicated feelings, both toward the characters on the screen and the films themselves, there's going to be enough action and excitement to keep us entertained while we mull over our final thoughts. After all, the previous film concluded with a seemingly indestructible dragon flying toward a defenseless town. Then there's the fact that the subtitle, 'The Battle of the Five Armies,' and the 'Hobbit 3' trailer promise a fairly epic throwdown.

Our one big hope is that the film doesn't lose sight of Martin Freeman's Bilbo Baggins, who remains the heart and soul of this trilogy. Sure, Luke Evans, Richard Armitage and Sir Ian McKellen are cool and all, but let's not forget the character these movies are named after. Although we enjoyed 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,' it did tend to lose its main protagonist in the shuffle. With 'The Battle of the Five Armies' bringing more faces into the fold (Sauron! Galadriel!), we hope Bilbo manages to stand out as the hero this trilogy needs.

'The Hobbit 3' (officially titled 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies') opens in theaters this December 17.